Review: Hook's Tale: Being The Account Of An Unjustly Villainized Pirate Written By Himself by John Leonard Pielmeier

My Review - 4 Stars

If you like Wicked (or anything else Gregory Maguire has written) and especially if you enjoy the show Once Upon A Time, you're going to want to pay attention.

At last, we have the true story behind Captain Hook. Or rather, James Cook, which is his real name.

The lies we have been fed by that scurrilous Peter Pan and his scribe J.M. Barrie!

Thank God Cook was finally able to tell his tale of woe and woeful it is indeed.

He writes, "I promise you this, dear reader: I will not lie about him as he (and his biographer) did of me" (p. 23.) We learn about his past, first meets the baby crocodile Daisy, and how he winds up on Never-Archipelago. He does not have an easy time of things, that's for sure. But things go from bad to worse once Pan gets involved.

This was a short enjoyable read. I am a sucker for fairy tale/classics retellings so this hit all my buttons in the best of ways, though I wished Cook's tale had a little more luck to balance out his hardships. I suppose, though, when the world knows you as the villain, it's harder to come across good luck.

At least now we know the truth.

Synopsis

A rollicking debut novel from award-winning playwright and screenwriter John Pielmeier reimagines the childhood of the much maligned Captain Hook: his quest for buried treasure, his friendship with Peter Pan, and the story behind the swashbuckling world of Neverland.

Long defamed as a vicious pirate, Captain James Cook (a.k.a Hook) was in fact a dazzling wordsmith who left behind a vibrant, wildly entertaining, and entirely truthful memoir. His chronicle offers a counter narrative to the works of J.M. Barrie, a “dour Scotsman” whose spurious accounts got it all wrong. Now, award-winning playwright John Pielmeier is proud to present this crucial historic artifact in its entirety for the first time.

Cook’s story begins in London, where he lives with his widowed mother. At thirteen, he runs away from home, but is kidnapped and pressed into naval service as an unlikely cabin boy. Soon he discovers a treasure map that leads to a mysterious archipelago called the “Never-Isles” from which there appears to be no escape. In the course of his adventures he meets the pirates Smee and Starkey, falls in love with the enchanting Tiger Lily, adopts an oddly affectionate crocodile, and befriends a charming boy named Peter—who teaches him to fly. He battles monsters, fights in mutinies, swims with mermaids, and eventually learns both the sad and terrible tale of his mother’s life and the true story of his father’s disappearance.

Like Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, Hook’s Tale offers a radical new version of a classic story, bringing readers into a much richer, darker, and enchanting version of Neverland than ever before. The characters that our hero meets—including the terrible Doctor Uriah Slinque and a little girl named Wendy—lead him to the most difficult decision of his life: whether to submit to the temptation of eternal youth, or to embrace the responsibilities of maturity and the inevitability of his own mortality. His choice, like his story, is not what you might expect.

My Review - 4 Stars

If you like Wicked (or anything else Gregory Maguire has written) and especially if you enjoy the show Once Upon A Time, you're going to want to pay attention.

At last, we have the true story behind Captain Hook. Or rather, James Cook, which is his real name.

The lies we have been fed by that scurrilous Peter Pan and his scribe J.M. Barrie!

Thank God Cook was finally able to tell his tale of woe and woeful it is indeed.

He writes, "I promise you this, dear reader: I will not lie about him as he (and his biographer) did of me" (p. 23.) We learn about his past, first meets the baby crocodile Daisy, and how he winds up on Never-Archipelago. He does not have an easy time of things, that's for sure. But things go from bad to worse once Pan gets involved.

This was a short enjoyable read. I am a sucker for fairy tale/classics retellings so this hit all my buttons in the best of ways, though I wished Cook's tale had a little more luck to balance out his hardships. I suppose, though, when the world knows you as the villain, it's harder to come across good luck.

At least now we know the truth.

Synopsis

A rollicking debut novel from award-winning playwright and screenwriter John Pielmeier reimagines the childhood of the much maligned Captain Hook: his quest for buried treasure, his friendship with Peter Pan, and the story behind the swashbuckling world of Neverland.

Long defamed as a vicious pirate, Captain James Cook (a.k.a Hook) was in fact a dazzling wordsmith who left behind a vibrant, wildly entertaining, and entirely truthful memoir. His chronicle offers a counter narrative to the works of J.M. Barrie, a “dour Scotsman” whose spurious accounts got it all wrong. Now, award-winning playwright John Pielmeier is proud to present this crucial historic artifact in its entirety for the first time.

Cook’s story begins in London, where he lives with his widowed mother. At thirteen, he runs away from home, but is kidnapped and pressed into naval service as an unlikely cabin boy. Soon he discovers a treasure map that leads to a mysterious archipelago called the “Never-Isles” from which there appears to be no escape. In the course of his adventures he meets the pirates Smee and Starkey, falls in love with the enchanting Tiger Lily, adopts an oddly affectionate crocodile, and befriends a charming boy named Peter—who teaches him to fly. He battles monsters, fights in mutinies, swims with mermaids, and eventually learns both the sad and terrible tale of his mother’s life and the true story of his father’s disappearance.

Like Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, Hook’s Tale offers a radical new version of a classic story, bringing readers into a much richer, darker, and enchanting version of Neverland than ever before. The characters that our hero meets—including the terrible Doctor Uriah Slinque and a little girl named Wendy—lead him to the most difficult decision of his life: whether to submit to the temptation of eternal youth, or to embrace the responsibilities of maturity and the inevitability of his own mortality. His choice, like his story, is not what you might expect.

Disclosure

This blog contains sidebar advertising and some contextual affiliate links. If you click through an affiliate link and purchase an item I have featured, I may receive a commission on the sale. You would never pay more for for the product- the commission comes from the regular retail price. I only feature products I genuinely like or, let's face it, love. I'm all about hyperbole. If a post or giveaway is sponsored, it is noted in the actual post. I don't blog about everything I receive, but when I do my thoughts and opinions are always my own.